alexwlchan

Alex Chan's personal website
https://alexwlchan.net/articles/ (RSS)
visit blog
randline: get a random selection of lines in a file using reservoir sampling
17 Jan 2025 | original ↗

I wrote a tiny Rust tool to get random samples in a memory-efficient way, and I learnt a lot while doing it.

How I test Rust command-line apps with `assert_cmd`
7 Jan 2025 | original ↗

Some practical examples of how this handy crate lets me write clear, readable tests.

How I use the notes field in my password manager
4 Jan 2025 | original ↗

I use notes as a mini-changelog to track the context and history of my online accounts. I write down why I created accounts, made changes, or chose particular settings.

My favourite books from 2024
31 Dec 2024 | original ↗

Fires and fighters, heroes and horrors, suicide and surgery – what I enjoyed reading this year.

I deleted all my tweets
27 Dec 2024 | original ↗

I used TweetDeleter to delete about 35,000 tweets, and cut my remaining ties to the site formerly known as Twitter.

Not all blog posts are created equal
26 Dec 2024 | original ↗

Splitting my work into "articles" and "today I learned" helped me overcome writer's block and improve my work.

How I name my computers
14 Nov 2024 | original ↗

Alliteration and Greek mythology are the keys to my heart.

Moving my website from Netlify to Caddy
3 Nov 2024 | original ↗

To avoid getting stung by Netlify's bandwidth charges, I moved this site to a Linux server running Caddy as my web server.

A script to verify my Netlify redirects
29 Oct 2024 | original ↗

I wrote a script that reads my redirect rules, and checks that every redirect takes you to a page that actually exists on my site.

Using static websites for tiny archives
16 Oct 2024 | original ↗

I've been creating small, hand-written websites to organise my files. It's a lightweight, flexible approach that I hope will last a long time.

Making alt text more visible
14 Oct 2024 | original ↗

I wrote a JavaScript snippet that shows alt text below all of my images, so I can see when it's missing, and review it while I'm editing.

Flickr Foundation at iPres 2024 →
7 Oct 2024 | original ↗

In September, I went to Belgium for a digital preservation conference. I wrote about what I learnt and what I saw for the Flickr.org blog.

Putting history on the map →
7 Oct 2024 | original ↗

Antarctic explorers, northern factories, and Hawaiian industry -- I wrote about some of the photos I found using the interactive map in the Flickr Commons Explorer.

Two examples of hover styles on images
6 Oct 2024 | original ↗

When I hover over an image, I can add a border to a link, or change the colours of an SVG icon.

Drawing a better bandwidth graph for Netlify
23 Sept 2024 | original ↗

A two-part pie chart lets me see how much bandwidth I've used this month, and whether I'm on track to exceed my bandwidth allowance.

Going between Finder and the Terminal
18 Sept 2024 | original ↗

A few shell scripts I use to go between the Finder and the Terminal.

Digital decluttering
13 Sept 2024 | original ↗

I'm resisting my temptation towards digital hoarding and "save everything", and trying to be more selective about the data I'm keeping.

Mountaintop moments
26 Aug 2024 | original ↗

The amazing events that let us temporarily escape from our lives, and how to deal with the emotional crash that comes afterward.

create_thumbnail: create smaller versions of images
20 Aug 2024 | original ↗

I've made a new tool that allows me to reuse my thumbnailing code across all my projects.

Plates and states
14 Aug 2024 | original ↗

On a recent trip to the US, I learnt a surprising amount from watching the license plates on passing cars.

Google is showing outdated results from the UK’s election
10 Jul 2024 | original ↗

Dozens of MPs who were re-elected to their seats are still labelled “former Member of Parliament”, days after the election results.

Doodling with the Mac’s command icon
4 Jul 2024 | original ↗

Rotating a looped hook around a central point creates a surprising variety of shapes.

emptydir: look for (nearly) empty directories and delete them
24 Jun 2024 | original ↗

I've been writing tools in Rust again.

Improving millions of files on Wikimedia Commons with Flickypedia Backfillr Bot →
11 Jun 2024 | original ↗

The new bot improves metadata for Flickr photos on Wikimedia Commons, and makes it easier to find out which photos have been copied across.

The surprising utility of a Flickr URL parser →
6 Jun 2024 | original ↗

I made a library that knows how to read lots of different forms of Flickr.com URL, and I used `hyperlink` to do it.

Drawing repetitive radial artworks
1 Jun 2024 | original ↗

Using polar coordinates to draw leaf- and flower-like patterns that repeat in circles around a point.

Documenting my DNS records
25 May 2024 | original ↗

Exporting my DNS records as YAML gives me a plaintext file where I can track changes, add comments, and feel more confident about managing my DNS.

Preserving pixels in Paris
23 May 2024 | original ↗

I went to France for a conference about archiving the web, and I came back with thoughts and photos.

Creating a Safari webarchive from the command line
17 May 2024 | original ↗

We can use the `createWebArchiveData` method on `WKWebView` to write a Swift script that creates Safari webarchive files.

What comes after AWS?
14 May 2024 | original ↗

Whatever displaces public cloud as the default model for large-scale computing has to be more than “AWS, but 3% better”.

What is psephology?
3 May 2024 | original ↗

It's the scientific study of elections and voting, and it comes from the Greek word for "pebble", because pebbles were used for voting in ancient Greece.

Taking regular screenshots of my website
23 Apr 2024 | original ↗

A screenshot a day keeps the bit rot at bay.

Getting faster Jekyll builds with caching in plugins
17 Apr 2024 | original ↗

I was able to build my Jekyll site much faster by using the built-in caching API.

The Star-Spangled Ballad
14 Apr 2024 | original ↗

If you listen carefully to the Ballad of Willie Watkins, you might hear another song peeking through.

flapi.sh: a tiny command-line tool for exploring the Flickr API →
11 Apr 2024 | original ↗

Combining several existing tools to make something that allows for quick experiments and exploration.

↑ These items are from RSS. Visit the blog itself at https://alexwlchan.net/articles/ to find everything else and to appreciate author's digital home.